Greed

Greed is defined 'as an excessive desire to acquire or possess more (especially more material wealth) than one needs or deserves'. Scavenging and hoarding of materials or objects, theft and robbery, especially by means of violence, trickery, or manipulation of authority are all actions that may be inspired by greed.

If I have to relate the sin 'greed' to the current world scenario, there are so many instances that come to my mind.

To start off with, look at the corruption index. India ranks 84th in the world, which is not very surprising. The use of public funds for private gain is common. The misuse of power, position and privilege is widespread. Corruption seems to be a fact that affects all sections of society. From politicians to a delivery boy, everyone is corrupted today.

On one side, India looks like one of the most promising economies of the world. But with the corruption index growing, it seems difficult. We are so habituated to all this, that we fail to see the truth, the reality of India's poverty: that 830 million Indians make less than 20 rupees (A50¢) a day; that if you drive 30 minutes outside the big cities, you confront living conditions in the villages that are almost mediaeval; and that while the scourge of starvation may no longer haunt India, millions, including 2000 to 3000 children every day, die a slow death from malnutrition.

 Yes I agree that India is shining, with the economy booming and sharemarkers soaring, but this one aspect of India simply cannot be ignored.

Even worldwide corruption is rampant. There are instances of British MPs fiddling expenses and pocketing money paid by hardworking taxpayers. Worldwide, bribery alone is estimated to involve over 1 trillion US dollars annually.

Along with that, terrorists, which seems to be the new religion, are greedy as well. They crave for power, fame and overall destruction of peace.

There can also be an argument to this sin. Various Businessmen who are flourishing in their businesses today like J.R.D Tata, Dhirubhai Ambani, Subhash Goenka et all were greedy for fame, power and riches. But there is a huge dissimilarity between greed and ambition.

To quote Erich Fromm's words "Greed is a bottomless pit which exhausts the person in an endless effort to satisfy the need without ever reaching satisfaction."

Take Care :)